While the UK has made progress, it still trails a number of European nations – Switzerland topped the continental list with 23 per cent, while South Korea lead overall (60 per cent).

Akamai's report stressed that this does not indicate who can currently view 4K content, "rather which countries/regions have higher concentrations of 4K 'capable' connectivity". The percentage of 4K TVs in people's homes is no doubt much, much smaller.

The overarching message to come out of Akamai's State of the Internet report was positive, with long term trends pointing towards "improved adoption" of high-speed internet leading to greater 4K readiness.

It comes at an important time in the development of Ultra HD 4K TV from a content perspective, with a number of initiatives currently being undertaken to drive its uptake across the industry.

An Akamai spokesperson said: "[The report] highlights the percentage of connections to Akamai at speeds above 15Mbps, with the goal of identifying candidate geographies most likely to be able to sustain such streams.

"The findings do not account for other readiness factors, including availability of 4K-encoded content or 4K-capable televisions and players."